For Execution, Rose was contemplating synchronized swimming and wondered if it was essential for swimmers to look identical. “If you have one Black person, or one other person of color,” Rose asked herself, “would it throw off the synchronizing?” Rose, who said she had personally never seen an entire group of Black swimmers doing synchronized swimming at a competition such as the Olympics, wondered, “Is this a possibility that can happen in real life?”
In response, Rose looked at images of synchronized swimmers but didn’t want to pick a particular group that had a specific move that you could identify with a particular team. So she selected an image that showed the swimmers still while conveying the impression of synchronized swimming.
"Rose’s new series of sports-themed paintings explode with emotion and celebration of their Black subjects while exploring themes of victory, play, and hope. The poised figures engage boldly in their practices, surrounded by bright, joyful color. Created in her studio in Barbados this year, the paintings are a result of the artist’s shift in focus following a heavy year of global and personal illness."
Zoe Lukov, 'Skin in The Game' exhibition, Palm heights, Miami, Nov 30 - Dec 10, 2021
